


The Scars of the Past

by gelatinouslunch



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Gen, Healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28917693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelatinouslunch/pseuds/gelatinouslunch
Summary: After the events of the last season, Catra tries to lead a training session for the Princess Alliance. Old hurts reappear as Mermista struggles with having Catra as an ally, and Adora tries to be there for both of them.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 39





	The Scars of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've written in a long time, so let me know if you'd like to see more! Thank you to the writer who beta read for

It had been a month since the defeat of Horde Prime. The kingdoms were healing, rebuilding after the destruction and hurrying to bring in a harvest to feed the many people displaced by the fighting. Many of them had been taken in by Bright Moon, and everyone had pitched in to help. Catra's strident voice rang off the walls of the palace, rising from a courtyard where the Princess Alliance was training. It was the first time since the defeat of Horde Prime that they had the chance to think about their upcoming mission and not on building shelters for everyone, gathering clothes and other supplies, and distributing food.

  
"Come on, Princesses, look alive! We managed to beat Horde Prime, but we don't know what other dangers there are out there!" Catra snapped. She walked with her hands behind her back and her different-colored eyes narrowed, barking like a drill sergeant. The princesses were spread out loosely on the lawn.

  
Perfuma sighed as she struggled to lift the training dummy she was supposed to be wrestling. "Why can't we just use our powers? If I summoned a plant golem..."

  
"Silence!" Catra shouted, taking a series of quick steps to stand right in front of Perfuma and direct her voice at her point-blank. Her tail stood out in a straight line and frizzed out. "Maybe we'll be on a lifeless moon where there is nothing to make a plant golem out of? Did you think of that?"

  
Glimmer looked at Adora, who was executing a series of suplexes on her own training dummy. Glimmer scooched her own dummy closer, then covered her mouth as she whispered to her friend. "I know Catra is doing her best, but are we sure this is the best way to prepare ourselves for our mission? We want to be able to work together!"

  
Adora sighed, dropping her dummy over her shoulder and rolling to her feet. "Well," she said, rubbing the back of her head as she looked at Catra, "maybe Catra is a bit too used to the Horde's way of thinking."

  
Catra raised an eyebrow, looking over at Glimmer and Adora. Her ears swept back. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding both unsure and annoyed. She could tell that she was once again doing something wrong.

  
"We need to start working together more, because if we don't, we might not survive this mission," Adora said. She looked at Catra's feet, unable to meet her eyes. "And I'm not sure yelling at each other is the best way to do that."

  
Catra's fur stood on end. "This is how we train! Do you want to kick butt? Or do you want to braid each other's hair and make flower crowns?"

  
Perfuma started to raise her hand, but Netossa took it and gently lowered it, shaking her head.

  
Adora winced. "No! The drills are good, but maybe we need a little more...." She glanced at Scorpia, who was piling the training dummies of Mermista and Sea Hawk onto her shoulders, along with her own dummy, "teamwork?"

  
Catra followed Adora's gaze to Scorpia. Her voice cracked as it climbed an octave. "Like that? They're not even training any more?" She cupped her mouth with both hands to yell, "You're never gonna beat those aliens by letting Scorpia do all the heavy lifting!"

  
Scorpia blushed, dropping the dummies and rubbing the back of her head with her claw. "Well, I mean, we might...."

  
Catra let out a long growl of frustration, her shoulders rising. "Scorpia! This isn't some stupid game, okay?! It's serious business!"

  
"But...but…."

  
The Princesses (and Bow and Sea Hawk) gathered around, all voicing their grumbles.

  
"I want to use my powers more!"

"How many bathrooms are on the spaceship, anyway?"

  
"Scorpia said we were going to have karaoke night!"

  
"Hey, Catra," said Mermista, a hand on her hip. "Maybe this is a good time to talk about all those people from Salineas and what happened to them when the Horde conquered my kingdom!"

  
Everyone was suddenly silent, and they all avoided looking at Catra or Mermista. Adora let out a long breath and watched Catra's reaction.

  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Catra muttered. "If you don't want to train with me, just go back to running obstacle courses and sitting around playing your dumb games with dolls."

  
"You're just mad because the Catra figure isn't to scale!" Bow sniffed.

  
"That's right!" said Sea Hawk, his voice trembling.

  
"RAA!" Catra yelled. She walked off several feet, her hands clenched at her sides and her fur standing on end.

  
Adora started after her, but Glimmer grabbed her hand. "Let her blow off some steam," the Queen of Brightmoon said.

  
Adora shook her head, gently taking Glimmer's hand out of hers. "Catra is more alone than anyone right now."

  
Mermista stood between her and the door, her arms folded. "Yeah, just go ahead and take her side," she said, rolling her eyes.

  
Adora put her hand on her sword. "I'm She-Ra. I feel the pain of Etheria. I haven't forgotten all the suffering the Horde brought. I helped them, and so did Catra." Catra hissed and turned on her heel, stomping off into the gardens as Adora went on, "But I helped stop them and so did she. We could never have stopped Horde Prime without her. I would have failed." Adora hung her head and took a shaky breath. "We can't undo the time we spent in the Horde, but hurting someone who is on our side now and wants to make things right won't bring back everything that was destroyed."

  
Mermista gestured up with an open hand, rolling her eyes at the clear blue sky. "You didn't know anyone from Salineas."

  
Adora's eyebrows tilted up. "I know you. You're my friend, and everything that happened to Salineas happened because I didn't stop it."

"No!" said Glimmer, stepping between them. "You didn't destroy Salineas, the Horde did. Only they are responsible!"

  
"Yeah, and who was leading the Horde?" Mermista asked, glaring in the direction Catra had gone.

  
Adora sighed. "What do you want Catra to do?"

  
Mermista's voice rose again. "I don't know, maybe not act like she can yell at us like we'd be okay with that? We're not okay." Her voice dropped, and she looked over her shoulder as she grumbled, "I'm not okay."

  
Adora nodded and gave her a sympathetic look. "I can't imagine what you've been through. It's okay to not be okay, and we're here for you, no matter what."

  
Bow had tears in his eyes, and he gave Mermista a huge hug. "We are going to rebuild Salineas and we will build memorials and and...." By then Sea Hawk was crying, too and Mermista turned away so they wouldn't see the tears in her eyes.  
"Yeah, well, maybe the training would be better if someone else led it," she said with a husky voice and walked to the door.

  
"I guess that's the end of training for the day," Adora said, turning to the others.

  
Sea Hawk and Bow were crying on each other's shoulders. Scorpia came over and wrapped them both up in a big hug. "I love you guys!" she said.

Adora walked through the garden quietly. She could see Catra through the spreading silver leaves of a plant that had been transplanted from the Whispering Woods. She didn't say anything yet, though. She wanted to let Catra see and hear her first. She was sitting on a bench, her head down and her elbows on her knees. As Adora watched, Catra took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and turned to face her.

  
"How long you been standing there?" she asked.

  
Adora let out a little sigh. "I'm sorry for the way they reacted."

  
Catra waved a hand in the direction of the courtyard with a bit of a growl. "They're right. After all the things I did, I don't deserve to give them orders."

  
"I never said that," Adora said.

  
Catra shrugged. "You might as well have. It's true. The last thing I was in charge of was the Horde. I heard what you said. I was with the Horde. I led the Horde!"

  
Adora walked over and sat next to her on the bench. "I was in the Horde, too. I know what they did to us. Shadow Weaver got in our heads. She made us think the Princesses are evil."

  
"But that's just it!" Catra said, turning away and hanging her head. Her ears were flat back. "You figured it out! You kept telling me, but I only made things worse."

  
"Yeah, you did." Catra's head snapped over, tears quivering in the corners of her eyes and her lips pressed tight together. "Until you didn't. Until you risked your life to save Glimmer. Until you broke free from Horde Prime's mind control."

  
Catra pointed toward the palace rising even above the trees of the garden, her voice rising to a yell again. "Tell that to them! They're always going to hate me! They look at me and see the enemy, the evil Catra who tried to destroy Etheria and everything that ever mattered!" She looked right into Adora's eyes, the pain and anger fighting with the hope and love. The portal almost destroyed the whole world, but all she had wanted was to be with Adora again.

  
Adora's shoulders dropped. Tears stung her eyes. "Catra--" But no words came. What words could offer comfort or healing after everything they had experienced?

  
Catra suddenly threw her arms around Adora and pulled her in for a tight hug. Adora felt hot tears on her shoulder. Adora hugged her back, instinctively, holding the person she loved against herself like there was something trying to pull them apart. She would never let it.

  
They sat like that for a long time. At first, Adora searched for something more to say, but nothing came. As she peeked at Catra's face, her heart softened. Even with her brow furrowed and the tears squeezing out from beyond her lashes, Catra looked more at peace than she had for a long time.

  
Adora laid her cheek against Catra's and just held her. Catra's shoulders shook with silent tears, and the warm spot on Adora's shoulder spread. Catra's clawed hands gripped her back tight, fingers curling possessively.

Catra had a lot to let go of, and with every tear one more tiny drop of all those things that she had stored inside slipped free. The sun was setting by the time they got up. They walked back to the courtyard hand-in-hand.

  
"Dinner will be starting soon," Adora said.

  
"You go ahead. I'm not hungry." Catra started to pull away. Adora held her hand just long enough to let her know how she felt and then let go.

  
"I won't make you do anything you don't want to," Adora said gently. "I'd like you to eat with me, though."

  
Catra shook her head. "I don't know if I'm ready to face the Princesses yet."

  
Adora smiled as she opened the door to the palace. "Then we'll eat together in my room. You can make an allowance for one Princess, right?"

  
Catra sniffed back tears and punched Adora in the arm. "You're such an idiot."


End file.
